Sept. 3, 1936: Ambers vs Canzoneri

Tony Canzoneri was already a lock for the Hall of Fame, not to mention an all-time great lightweight when he entered Madison Square Garden in May of 1935 to face young Lou Ambers for the vacant championship of the world. Barney Ross had walked away from the 135 pound title to compete at welterweight and Ambers and Canzoneri were the obvious pairing to decide the next champion. But Ambers was five years younger and his elder had a lot of hard miles on those frail-looking legs; the wiseguys pegged Canzoneri as the underdog.

Canzoneri in his prime.

So imagine everyone’s surprise when it was Canzoneri, not Ambers, who came flying out of his corner at the opening bell, throwing lethal right hands. He went on to score two knockdowns in round three, before holding off a late charge from Ambers, and then he heard the cheers as he was awarded a lop-sided decision win and his fifth world title. Ambers had been Tony’s sparring partner not that long ago, but he hadn’t yet learned enough to defeat his old mentor. The first Ambers vs Canzoneri tilt surprised many and appeared to prove that there was still plenty of life left in the veteran scrapper.

However, little did anyone know at the time, but it would prove to be one of Canzoneri’s last great performances. He was only 26, but he had competed in over 130 pro bouts, including some grueling battles with Ross, Benny Bass, Kid Chocolate, Frankie Klick, Billy Petrolle and many others. And in fact, between that first clash with Ambers and the second, Canzoneri answered the bell 11 times, all victories but there were some punishing scraps along the way, including tough distance battles with Klick and Jimmy McLarnin. Meanwhile Ambers, with only 50 matches to his credit, was just getting started.

Lou Ambers

But the oddsmakers saw only Canzoneri’s hot streak of 14 straight victories, and his one-sided win over Ambers the previous May, and decided it was now Ambers who was the underdog. How wrong they were, as that night it soon became clear to a near-capacity crowd in Madison Square Garden that Canzoneri just didn’t have it anymore. This time it was Ambers who seized the initiative early and while the older man hung tough and fought back as best he could, his dangerous right hand was never a factor. Instead it was “The Herkimer Hurricane” who did most of the damage, rallying in the late going to seal the victory.

In round three it was Ambers forcing the fight and shaking Canzoneri with a hard one-two and by the fifth the older man was bleeding from the nose. In contrast to their first meeting, Canzoneri had great difficulty finding the target with his dangerous right, though he staged a rally in rounds nine and ten to stay in it. But the late going saw Ambers back in control and when the final decision in his favour was announced none disputed it. Ambers was clearly the sharper, fresher and more effective fighter.

Two all-time greats mix it up.

“I was slow tonight,” lamented the former champion in his dressing room, blaming his showing on a four month layoff. “Guess I needed a fight under my belt. I’d like to take him right back tomorrow.”

But most observers agreed, activity was not the reason for Canzoneri’s less-than-impressive performance.

The new champion echoed that sentiment: “Tony beat me a year ago because he was too fast and experienced. Tonight he punched as hard as ever but he was terribly slow and I had no trouble hitting him. Of course I’ll give him another fight if he wants it, because I know he’ll never be the old Canzoneri again.”

And indeed “Canzi” took a bloody battering from McLarnin in his next outing and when he got another crack at Ambers in May of the following year, the result was a one-sided 15 round win for “The Herkimer Hurricane.” Canzoneri was an all-time great, a legend, a fighter whose name and reputation would never die. But the glory days were now gone for good.

A happy Ambers after his big win.

As for Ambers, he was, without a doubt, the best 135-pounder on the planet, the new king of the lightweight castle as Canzoneri, Ross and Petrolle all contemplated the sands of time and retirement. And indeed it would take a fighter as great as the immortal Henry Armstrong to get the better of him in 1938 and, after a grueling 15 round war, relieve him of the title he had taken from “Canzi.” — Robert Portis

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Montreal is The Fight City. Known in years past as "Sin City" and "Babylon on the St. Lawrence", it saw more than its share of ring legends over the decades. A metropolis where hundreds of young warriors train and battle each day in its many gyms, it is where Archie Moore, Sugar Ray Leonard, Roberto Duran and Bernard Hopkins all found greatness. It is a city of fights and fighters, of hockey and heroes, of broken dreams and immortal glory, a city unlike any other. Montreal is The Fight City.